NationStates Jolt Archive


The Quantum Multiverse (ATTN: Ayaddha)

Narodna Odbrana
11-03-2005, 22:54
OOC: I've sent a TG to Ayaddha, asking him to post details of Sheikh Ali's theories about the quantum multiverse. If the results support my idea, a story line should emerge (in which case I will change the title).
Ayaddha
12-03-2005, 00:05
OOC: I've sent a TG to Ayaddha, asking him to post details of Sheikh Ali's theories about the quantum multiverse. If the results support my idea, a story line should emerge (in which case I will change the title).OOC: Here – without frills – is Sheikh Ali’s theory:

First, background: my wife recently finished reading Michael Crichton’s book Timeline (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345417623/104-3011145-3292730), in which Crichton lays out the idea that our universe is actually an infinity (or, more accurately, an infinity of infinities [or maybe even and infinity of infinities of infinities (IOW, what mathematicians call an “aleph sub two” of infinities, depicted by the Hebrew symbol “aleph” [ א ] with a subscript of “2” )]) of separate universes, each different from the others – some in trivial ways (as the character Gordon puts it, “One in which you brushed your teeth when you got up this morning and one in which you didn’t” ), some not (IOW, one where the dinosaurs died out, and one where they didn’t).

Shortly after that, I had been unpacking some old boxes and found some of my role-playing stuff, including my copy of M.A.R. Barker’s Empire of the Petal Throne (http://www.tekumel.com/tekumel.html). Curious as to the status of the game, I went online and found that there is still some stuff out there to support it, including a definition of what Tékumel (Barker’s world) would look like as part of a TORG campaign. This, in turn, reminded me of TORG (http://www.westendgames.com/torg/indextorg.html), a game I was familiar with but never played.

It was a few days later that I encountered NationStates, and then read The Ethereal Dragon’s “White Tower (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=378306&highlight=White+Tower)” thread. I found the thread disappointing, since it failed to even attempt to, as the author put it, "standardize magic so that it is no-longer considered 'godmoding' or Unfair (sic), but is instead viewed as a legitimate weapon".

I posted an idea to the thread, where it was met with derision by a closed-minded fantasy buff named Kaymiril (...and you think I'm closed-minded because I don't simply accept as an axiom that magic works everywhere. Why should it? Is that Allah's plan? Do you presume to know that the multiplicity of existences isn't pleasing to the Divine?). Nonetheless I didn’t give up; the idea seemed useful and so I put it on the backburner. When Jatinum Spade “blew up” the world, it seemed the perfect time to dust it off (that, and have a piece of cake).

In essence, my idea was to use Crichton’s theory as a “scientific” basis for postulating the existence of multiple “parallel” universes, and then resolve interactions between these using TORG rules. There was a wrinkle, though: because of the I-G-N-O-R-E cannon, there could be no “Storm Knights” or “stellae”. The triumph of the host cosm over the visitor had to be absolute – always.

To those unfamiliar with TORG, here’s the concept: we live, as mentioned above, in a multiverse. Each universe within this multiverse is a “cosm”; each “cosm” has its own axioms and laws which dictate how things interact within that cosm.

If an object from one “cosm” were to enter another, it would find itself in (potential) ontological conflict with its surroundings. In TORG, a “saving throw” (or the equivalent) determines who wins this struggle – the “cosm” or the object; here in NS, however, the right of all players to ignore each other means that the “cosm” always wins.

But – as in TORG – everything has its own essential nature (or, as Aristotle said, “A is A” ). In ontological struggle with the surrounding universe, such a thing may lose – but even in losing, it will become that which, within the new “cosm”, is closest to its original (or true) manifestation (in Platonic terms, its ideal or archtypical self).

Thus, if an FT nation (meaning a nation from an FT “cosm” ) invades a MagiTek nation (meaning a nation from a MagiTek “cosm” ), its personnel and equipment will be transformed into their closest MagiTek equivalent (or, more accurately, the closest thing to what they originally were than can exist in their new surroundings). This might mean that they don’t change at all; at the other extreme, if they can not be possibly mapped into the new reality without contradicting the host “cosm's” axioms, they simply cease to exist or – better – rebound to their own existence, failing to travel at all.

In keeping with the nature of NS reality, the defender (owning the host “cosm” ) has the power to say what can and can not exist on his turf; this gives him an absolute veto over invader capabilities (and therefore could prove to be the very basis for the I-G-N-O-R-E power).

On the other hand, it is up to the attacker – and [I]only the attacker – to say what his people and equipment became upon arrival in the defender’s “cosm”. If the transformation seems unlikely (a tank into a werewolf), the defender can veto; but in vetoing, this merely returns the choice of what happens to the attacker.

In short – just as everywhere else in NS – invader and defender must cooperate in RP.

There’s another TORG feature that we need to drop: the idea that the invader can impose the axioms of his “cosm” on his enemy by placing “stellae” in locations within the defender’s soil. This is not permissible because it eliminates the ability fo the defender to I-G-N-O-R-E the attacker; therefore, the only way to actually transform an invaded “cosm” is to take possession of it if it is regional in scope (kind of the way an invading delegate can modify the region’s factbook), or if the defender surrenders (in whole or in part) in the case of a national “cosm”.

Because the very fabric of reality differs from “cosm” to “cosm”, violent regions of instability (“reality storms”, in TORG terms) exist where contact occurs. Such phenomena are extremely intense, but localized. The key here is that they are not 2-dimensional planar “shears” by narrow “storm fronts”; it is here and only here that “cosms” could exist side-by-side, and therefore forces from different “cosms” (eg., starships and dragons) could bang it out - but only in an unstable environment where the fundamental behavior of things could change in an instant.

The effect is to allow nations from different “cosms” to interact. The key is that all interaction must be strictly on the terms of defender in each operation; walk onto someone else’s turf, play by their rules.

In my mind, then, Ayad (my mythical island in the West Pacific, where Ayaddha lies) exists in a “cosm” of its own. Rather than MT, I will dub this “cosm” Contemporary, but with a wrinkle: for those familiar with the mode, Ayad is actually set in the literary reality of what is commonly (but controversially) dubbed “magical realism (http://www.qub.ac.uk/en/imperial/india/Magic.htm)”, as exemplified (in my usage) by the writings of Salman Rushdie, Kurt Vonnegut, Phillip Roth, and Douglass Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide (http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/hhgg.html) is the FT application of the mode; Dirk Gently (http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/dirk.html), OTOH, is more in line with the other authors cited).

In this mode, “the fantastic (is) normal, without any sense of surprise or amazement”. More importantly, wierdness never has an earth-shaking impact (other than in terms of imparting meaning to the reader); the “magic” goes with the territory.

This school of literature is a reflection of 20th Century life, where Juan Valdez may go up into the hills to pick coffee beans, but he’s got his cell phone with him. Amish farmers drive around in buggies outside bars where the inhabitants watch news reports displaying close-up photos of Saturn’s moon Europa. These wild anachronisms exist all around us, but they so saturate our reality that everyone takes them for granted.

Thus, if an army of 50,000 elves invaded Ayad, someone would explain it by saying that some director was making a movie, after which elf-groupies would show up to “share the Light” (use your imagination), and then finally a government official would show up and ask everybody for their passports.

And in similar fashion, if a flying saucer landed in Qu’um, a traffic enforcement officer would probably bicycle up, write the visitors a ticket for illegal parking, explain where the magistrate could be found and the bill paid (by cash of with a major credit card, of course - no personal checks), and then walk off with an air that would seem to suggest that he did this sort of thing ten times a day (and who knows, maybe he does...). Assuming, of course, that he didn’t decide to perform a vehicle safety check because one of the aliens slimed his oxfords.

So what do you need to apply this to NS? Just agree on a way to cross between “cosms” (which could be anything from a magic amulet to a Big Honking Machine That Goes “Ka-CHUNKKKK-WuuuuooooooOOOOSSSSSHHH!” ), and then figure out what “Crossing Over” does to your people and their things.

Just remember - whatever the rules are, they have to be the same for both parties. If the defender wants a “cosm” where he can “godmode”, he's giving the invader that same power. Good luck...

I hope this helps.
Narodna Odbrana
16-03-2005, 22:26
Stefan had run into a brick wall. The program simply was not working.

He ran a hand through his hair as it it would help, and then got up and walked around the room.

He'd been working for hours. It was early afternoon, and the sea below his villa was a very deep blue. The sand was inviting. He needed a break.

He needed to walk on the beach for an hour or have sex, and since his housekeeper had left for the week, the latter option was out of the question. That meant the beach.

He considered wandering down to one of the tavernas. He could find a willing enough partner - that was easy, especially with his financial resources - but then he'd have to worry about VODAIS or some other malady, and the release simply wasn't worth the risk.

Hourame was safe, after all. He'd seen to that. He'd drugged her and taken a blood draw before he'd done anything, and only when it had come back clean of everything had he administered the lustrol - the guys in the lab called it "synthetic Spanish Fly" - pumped up the subliminals, and let nature ... er, Chemistry take its course.

Of course she knew nothing, remembered nothing, and that was proper, being the pious Muslim girl that she was. He'd taken the extra step of having the Norplant buried in her arm first, after that "accidental" tumble she'd taken down the steps, the one that had broken her arm. Why not? After all, good manners cost so very little.

But of course she couldn't be available all the time, no matter how much he paid her - or implanted further subliminal suggestions through the use of various psychotropic drugs and programming techniques. She still had a family back up in the hills and still - good girl that she was - wanted to visit them, and he'd let her go. Which p_ss_d him off now, because he was high and dry with no hope of relief.

Just wait until Sunday, my little toy, and I'll down a couple of doses of Stimulite and make up for lost time. He figured she owed him a good five hours, not counting breaks.

Anyway, he mused, fox-and-grapes fashion, while donning his windbreaker, better that he not get too attached. She was 23 and that was good, but soon she'd be 26 or 27 and then he'd let her go marry some pious dude who'd think he was getting a virgin instead of a retread and he'd go hire himself another maid. A little abstinence did a man some good.

Not too much good, but some anyway.

He was about to step out the door when he heard the "beep" of his computer. He turned around.

A popup inhabited the center of the screen. He looked at it. It said:

Fortean Query #152: Premise Confirmed.
He swore and threw open the desk drawer. There, he grabbed the black cell phone and held down "9".

A ring. Another. Then a voice, deep, frightening. "Yes"

"Stefan Arbanavich. I have a successful solution from ARGUS."

"What is it?"

He paused. "Fortean Query #152. Premise Confirmed."

He waited.

"Come now", said the voice. "Bring all the data on a jump drive." Another pause. "How long before you can be here?"

Stefan looked at the wall clock, sweating profusely. It was out of fear.

"By 6:30PM at the latest."

"I will be expecting you", said the voice, and the line was disconnected.
Narodna Odbrana
16-03-2005, 23:04
Stefan arrived at the mountain villa fifteen minutes early. This was good, as Stefan wanted to live to see morning.

He grabbed the tote bag with the jump drive and headed to the door. He pressed the doorbell. He waited. When asked to do so, he calmly passed both the tote and his 9mm automatic to the kind man who had come up behind him and firmly but politely pressed the barrel of his 9mm automatic to the base of Stefan's skull.

"Thank you", said the man.

"You're quite welcome", said Stefan, and he meant it. He was alive, after all, and that was good. He appreciated good manners. They all did.

The man pushed the door open and motioned for Stefan to enter. He did.

He waited patiently for a few minutes, and then a manservant entered and beckoned him to follow. He was led off into a side room and offered a seat. He sat. He was offered a cigar and a glass of warm plum brandy. He took that, too. It was important to be a gracious guest.

Finally, the villa's principal resident entered and sat in another chair, facing Stefan. "Welcome to my home", he said. "Did you look at the data?"

Stefan shook his head. "No, I came straight here."

The man smiled. "I like a man who follows orders. I asked you to deliver the data to me in person and you did. I did not say that you should look at it, and you did not." He lit his cigar. "Excellent."

His eyes then narrowed. "What are you working on right now?"

"The totalisator program."

"We will pass that responsibility off to someone else," said the man. Stefan had to fight a scream, but the man smiled and continued. "I want you to analyze the data."

"Thank you," said Stefan, and again he was truly grateful. He was, after all, still alive.

"I assume that you understand the fundamentals of ARGUS", continued the man. Stefan nodded. "Now I must tell you what we mean by 'Fortean Query #152'..."

He did. Stefan's mind reeled.

The man paused and offered a conclusion. "Even though there is a high degree of probability that ARGUS is correct, we always require a human to go over the anaylsis. Artificial intelligence has its limits."

"Now", finished the man. "Have you eaten?"

Stefan shook his head.

"Then my servants will prepare you dinner, after which you will retire to chambers we have prepared for you."

He then rose, stopped, turned. "When did you last have a woman?" he asked.

Stefan replied, "Last weekend."

The man nodded. "Then you will provide company for my daughter Nadia. I apologize in advance for the extra work this entails, but I'm sure that I can make it worth your while. Assuming, that is, that she doesn't do that herself."

With that, he left.
Harlack Mensa
23-03-2005, 18:02
"That would be correct," Lord Gonzales said rather hautain, "if we played the game by the rules. But i don't think there would be much opposition if we killed ALL children in an opposing city? We don't really need the native people, so we could do it."The ancient gatekeeper heard the threats of the men from De Vlaamse Leeuw (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8509694&postcount=7), and they chilled him to the bone. He slipped away and hurried to the East Tower, slipping noiselessly inside.

The stairs wound up four flights to what appeared to the ordinary eye as the uppermost landing. Yet there was one more door, which most people assumed was a service door. The gatekeeper removed a small gold key, fitted in the lock, turned it, entered the dark stairwell beyond, closed the door behind him, and then ascended two more flights of steps.

Few people knew that the East Tower was even in use any more, let alone that it had six flights of steps inside it. You couldn't tell from the outside, anyway: the tower rose far enough to incoporate those first four flights, and the landing where the gatekeeper had withdrawn the key appeared to be at the tower's highest level.

And yet, as the old saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. In essence, the Department of Ontological Studies existed in offices that from the perspective of the rest of the world quite plainly could not exist.

But that's ontology for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Smithers? Smithers? Where in the Name of God are you?" said the gatekeeper, looking all around.

"Up here, Reginald," came the voice from a balcony yet one more impossible storey higher than the cluttered - and thoroughly impossible - offices below.

"I knew I'd find you here. Why didn't you leave with the rest of the faculty?" Reginald snapped.

"Why should I?" Smithers replied. "It's not like other people can just come barging in here."

"This building, may I remind you, is not invulnerable!" exclaimed Reginald Ashley, quite perturbed. "One bomb or shell..."

"I'm not worried," said Smithers calmly.

"Or a fire..." continued the gatekeeper.

"No, not that either," replied Smithers.

Reginald eyed him squarely. "You're irresponsible!"

"Probably," chuckled the scholar. "But you didn't come here to tell me that, did you?"

The gatekeeper suddenly lost his ability to speak. He shook his head. Smithers cocked an eyebrow.

"It's going poorly?" he asked.

The gatekeeper nodded.

Smithers just looked at him.

Finally, Reginald found his voice, if only a whisper. "They are threatening," he began, "To kill all the children in the city."

"The animals!" Smithers exploded. "Why, I've have a mind to..."

"No, you can't!" said Reginald sharply. And, as Smithers prepared to speak, he cut him off with another sentence: "Not that, either. None of it. You know we have to stick to the rules."

"Bugger the rules!" Smithers fumed.

"Been there, done that, best not to return," snapped Reginald. "No, I'll tell you what you need to do: gather up your students - all of them - and get them out of here right now."

"I'll do better that that," he said. "I'll take all the students, all the children..."

"No," said the gatekeeper, "Only the special ones."

Smithers was aghast, "You can't mean that!"

Reginald sighed, "Do we have a choice? The others can't know. The rules and all..."

"Bugger..." Smithers repeated.

The gatekeeper cut him off: "We can't, and you know why." Then he softened. "But what you can do is contact some of our faculty abroad - the ones who work for you - and let them hear this."

And with that, he handed Smithers a sealed bell jar.

"You got it?!?" asked Smithers.

"All of it. But there's not a lot of time," said Reginald, turning. Then he hesitated. "Look, I'll try to find something to do with the children - at least the youngest. They'd be the easiest to protect."

"You promise?" said Smithers.

Reginald turned back, and placed a comforting hand on the old scholar's shoulder. "Have I ever let you down?"

"No," said Smithers.

"Nor will I this time," promised the gatekeeper. And with that he turned to head down the impossible stairs from whence he had come.
Narodna Odbrana
23-03-2005, 23:56
Two Months Later

They sat, dark men in a dark room. Thirteen of them.

Only one spoke. He was the Grandmaster.

"There is one last item to discuss," he began.

They waited.

He touched his notebook computer and the projection on the wall lit up. It was a photograph of a newspaper headline:

The Grocery Store Gazette
"All the news that's fit to print ... and then some."

Earth Destroyed by Aliens!
"We're all dead!" says top scientist

Gazette Exclusive - The Earth was attacked and destroyed last week by Jatinum Spade, an alien civilization from the M-1289 Galaxy, according to a secret NSUN report recently obtained by The Grocery Store Gazette...
"Obviously," he began with a slight smile, "The reports of our demise were greatly exagerrated. But it appears that there was actually something to this story, ridiculous as it sounds."

He paused, and then countinued. "You are all aware of ARGUS, our distributed information gathering application..."

ARGUS (an acronym, for "Appropriating Really Gullible Users' Systems") was the organzation's spyware-delivered trojan, an insidious program that had managed to insinuate itself into the computers of millions and millions of people who were dumb or lazy enough to use Microcosm Wingdings, a popular operating system.

"From time to time we ask ARGUS to utilize a small amount of idle processor power on those machines where people have generously agreed to let the program operate, in order to analyze some of the information that these same people have also - with equal generosity - agreed to share with us." He smiled, and then continued: "We use this processor power and information for all kinds of valuable tasks." By this, he was referring to the organization's stock and currency manipulation schemes, its insider trading, blackmail and cyberextortion, spamming, and other activities of a similar nature.

"Some of the queries that we pose to the ARGUS system involve investigations into events of an unusual nature. We call these 'Fortean' queries in honor of Charles Fort (http://skepdic.com/fortean.html), an early 20th Century writer who collected and published information on bizarre events, things that today's press call 'the paranormal'. Like Fort, we take a skeptical approach - we do not assume that such events have or have not occurred, nor that they are or are not possible - until we've had a chance to investigate them."

He then gestured to the massive tabloid displayed on the wall. "This event," he said, "Was submitted to ARGUS as 'Fortean Query #152'. ARGUS responded - after a good bit or probing and number crunching - by saying that the event had in fact occurred." He paused, and then added: "Or at least that there was a 99.93% chance that the event had occurred.

"This was two months ago. We spend the last eight weeks analyzing ARGUS's findings critically: we found its data reliable and its logic inassailable. We then went further and used some of our big parallel processing arrays - the so-called 'Grendel clusters' we maintain worldwide - to try and shape theories that would explain the event. And of course we sought to have ARGUS gather even more information."

He flipped to the next slide, showing an old Sufi and his younger student, relaxing on a veranda near towering, snow-capped peaks.

"We found that a group of theologians with an interest in modern psychics and ontology had already come up with a theory that explained what had happened. Essentially, our 'universe' is actually an infinity of parallel universes, each with its own axioms and laws. These universes are able to interact, but each on its own terms.

"These 'Jatinum Spade' aliens are from a different universe than our own. The technology they used to attack Earth - 'hyperphasing molten geoballs into the Earth's core', or something like that - works in their universe, but not in ours. So the attack occurred, all right," he finished. "It just didn't work."

He flipped to the next slide. It looked like a map of the Earth's fault lines, only the lines ran across the Earth in different ways and coalesced in unusual places: Jerusalem, Salisbury in England, the Holy City of Qu'um in Ayad, Alice Springs in Australia, Peru, the Atlantic near Bermuda, and Anarctica.

"What it did do was stir up other 'Fortean Events' all around the world. These events mostly occured along so-called 'ley lines (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMLeyLines.html)', and mostly proved to be the result of the sudden but transient overlapping of other universes with our own. In fact, over the last two months we have pretty much confirmed that all so-called 'paranormal' incidents occur because two universes suddenly overlap, and things that are impossible suddenly come into existence or happen in the interfaces where 'ontological dissonance' occur.

"This in and of itself is a useful discovery", he said, and then continued: "But the most useful discovery of all is that we have learned how to predict dissonances with a high degree of probability, and believe that we can use these 'fault zones' to actually enter other universes."

He waited, and watched his peers.

By custom, no one spoke to the Grandmaster unless he asked them to. This meant that the Twelve had to sit and listen to him, whatever questions they might have in their minds, and sometimes the Grandmaster enjoyed that fact, subjecting them to a ban of silence that he knew had to be maddening. Sometimes he did this to test them. Sometimes he did it because he liked to watch them squirm.

This time, it was to watch them. What were they thinking, these hard-nosed men whose world he had just so casually uprighted? He had just told them that every childhood story they'd ever heard might be real, and that maybe there might actually be something in their basement, in the closet, or under the bed, if only for a fleeting - but dangerous - moment.

He smiled. Time to finish.

"We have identified those places where overlays happen most frequently. We intend to send teams of operatives with powerful computer systems to set up shop there and begin the exploration of these other universes. We will begin with the universe from whence these 'Jatinum Spade' aliens came, in part because they already know about us, and so we reveal nothing if we are discovered, and in part because we think that some of their technology might actually work here, and that would be nice to have."

He closed his notebook lid abruptly.

"That concludes today's meeting."
Narodna Odbrana
25-03-2005, 11:29
Stefan missed the sea. He had always enjoyed strolling along the beach and letting the pounding of the waves clear his mind. Up in the mountains, he did not have these things. He had forests, and riotous birdsong, but somehow it wasn't the same.

Still, at least he got to take walks, although he'd had to wait a bit for that.

He'd been confined to the villa for about two weeks before complaining one afternoon to Nadia. She'd seemed to ignore him, and then just before the end of the conversation asked him, "What time to you get up in the morning?"

Like any good programmer, Stefan rose late. "Nine o'clock." He replied.

"Tomorrow, be ready by seven," she said.

He was, and at seven sharp a knock came at his bedroom door. It was not Nadia, but rather a large man who introduced himself as Malek. "I understand you like taking walks."

From that morning on, Stefan was allowed to stroll for an hour with Malek nearby. Malek wasn't very much for conversation, but sometimes they talked. Mostly, Stefan enjoyed the air.

This morning it was wet and fresh, rains having swept the mountainside the previous night. The sky was still grey an watery, although Stefan was sure that it would clear without further precipitation. About a quarter mile from the compound he stopped, cocking his ear.

Malek stiffened and drew his piece, but Stefan waved him off. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" asked the big man.

"That," replied Stefan, annoyed. He waited, and a bird trilled. "There! That!"

"What?!?" repeated Malek, now clearly annoyed. Stefan was searching the trees.

Finally, he noticed the enforcer's expression. "The bird, Malek ... that cry is the sound of ..."

And then he pointed, finger shooting out like lightning. "There! A Gold Crested Jubjub! They're very rare..."

"Rare?" said Malek, curiously.

"Yes," said Stefan. "Almost extinct."

Malek raised his pistol and drew a bead on the bird. Stefan was aghast. "What are you doing?!?!?"

Malek turned, lowered his pistol, and said, "You said it was rare, right?"

"Yes," replied Stefan.

"Well, then," said Malek, raising his pistol, "Then it must be worth something..."

"No!" snapped Stefan. "It's not! It's just rare."

Malek lowered his gun. He thought for a minute, and then raised his piece again.

"I said it wasn't worth anything, Malek!" Stefan blurted out. "What are you doing?!?"

Malek looked at Stefan, lowered his piece, and looked at Stefan like his was an idiot. In a deep, patient voice, he explained: "Look, if it's rare, then shooting this one will make the remaining ones even more scarce. Sooner or later, they're bound to be worth something."

Malek's radio crackled. The bird took wing, and Stefan breathed a sigh of relief. Malek ignored it - and the escaping bird - to answer his radio.

Some grunts of agreement, and then Malek spoke: "We need to go back now."

It took fifteen minutes to trudge back. They came around the front, and there sat Nadia, leaning against the side of a BMW convertible. She motioned to Stefan.

"Come on. Get in. We go."

"Where?" asked Stefan. Normally he wouldn't have asked, but Nadia seemed to find him ... useful.

"We're being reassigned," she said, and then her lips drew a cruel smile. "Together."

D_mn! he thought. She's like a vampire. She'll be the death of me!

He got in, and then dared to ask again: "So where are we going?"

"The airport," she replied. When he looked back at her with startlement, she replied, "I've already packed for both of us. Not a lot, just enough to get us going."

And with that, she peeled out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She picked up the tickets for them, stuffed them in her handbag, and then guided him to a bookstore. "Buy some books. Buy a lot of them. Computer games, too. It will be a long trip."

He was going to ask how long, but her look stopped him. He'd been too free with the questions. It's time to shut up.

He picked out three books and two games. She looked at him with disgust. "I said a lot. That's not a lot. Go get more."

She let him go to checkout when he'd tripled his selection. How far are we going?!? he wondered.

A few minutes later, they were getting coffee when a voice anounced that a flight for Rio was boarding. He smiled.

She shot him a piercing look. "Don't get your hopes up," she snapped. "Rio is just the first leg."

The first leg? he wondered. I don't like the sound of that. I don't like the sound of that at all.
Harlack Mensa
25-03-2005, 22:50
More to post...
Narodna Odbrana
25-03-2005, 23:00
OOC: OK, we're ready to go. Here are the thread rules:

Contact me (Narodna Odbrana) before joining the thread. I will let you know what your first post or two has to say (you can RP a bit before your first factual post, like I did, but the factual post must come before you get serious. If you don't do this, you'll be I-G-N-O-R-E-D.
You must figure out what your laws and axioms are before you participate (see below).
You must RP a method of getting to other people's universes that is consistent with said laws and axioms.
History is absolutely rigid: this means, to be blunt, that once you say that "X is true in my universe," then X is true (unless you can RP a truly great explanation for why that should change) and - more importantly it is true for everyone. So be careful in your choices - the toothpaste doesn't go back into the tube once it's out.

With that, I'll ask Ayaddha to begin (this is his concept, so he's on board mainly as a moderator...)
Ayaddha
27-03-2005, 05:23
What I'm about to post are cosm descriptions, meaning the basic definitions of a number of cosms that exist or might exist for the purposes of this thread (and maybe subsequent threads). Keep in mind that while my concept is in part based on TORG (http://www.westendgames.com/torg/indextorg.html), we're not playing TORG, we're playing NationStates. If I use rules of even numbers from TORG, it's for descriptive purposes only.

With that, I will explain in advance the format of each of the next three posts:

Title: World Name

World Axioms: Just as in TORG, there are four axioms that describe what sorts of things are possible in the world. They are:
Magic
Social
Spirit
Tech
Each of these axioms has a number associated with it, in the range 0-33. The numbers correspond to levels, exactly as in TORG, but nothing else (in TORG, these numbers produce die roll modifiers; those aren't relevant in NS). A description of these levels can be found online within John Walter Biles Internet Lair (http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/TORG/Cosms.html#TheAxiomsAndWorldLaws).

In reading these descriptions, keep in mind that the things described are the greatest possible level of activity in the realm of "<X>" possible, where "<X>" is the axiom in question. Thus, greatest possible use of magic, greatest possible level of social organization, etc...

So what do the axioms relate to?

Magic

Magic (in my book, anyway), is the manipulation of the universe through the application of intention. "I will it to be so, ergo it is so." I will not get into the theological implications of this. Notice also that nothing is said about how this is done: it could be by speaking words of command and/or invoking a thing's True Name (eg, in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthsea) tales), or through pyschic powers (eg, the Mule's powers - or those studied at the Second Foundation in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series)), or anything else you could imagine.

There is a close connection with - but a number of subtle distinctions from - the Spirit axiom (below).

Social

The Social axiom describes the highest levels of social organization possible within the cosm. The limits of language, the sway of literature and the arts, the ability to build empires or move the masses through politics, these are all based on the Social axiom.

Spirit

Spirit is distinct from magic in that it represents an interaction with the Powers of the Universe or Universal Laws. Divine intervention, enlightenment, ascension to or awareness of higher planes of existence, manipulation or invocation of Entities, these are all manifestations of Spirit. That makes Spirit a close cousin of Magic, but not the same thing. In Magic, you do it with your mind; in Spirit, something else does it, because you have either asked or commanded it to.

Tech

Tech is the ability to manipulate the laws of nature through artifice. The difference between Magic and Tech is that the Magician wills it to be so, while the Technician builds a contraption to make it so. Likewise, while in Spirit and Tech the Laws of the Universe are equally in play, the Technician (like the Magician) can do things that are moral or immoral with equal ease; in contrast, with Spirit the quality of the action (Good or Evil) has profound consequences, and may not only affect the way in which things can be done, but even whether they can be done at all.

The hardest part of the evaluation will be figuring out what is Magic and what is Spirit. Let me offer two examples, both from the realm, of science fiction:
As mentioned earlier, the psychic science of Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is Magic. Why? Because there is no limit on what the Mule can do based on morality, nor is the Mule reliant on outside powers in the exercise of his pyschic abilities.
In contrast, in the world of the Sci-Fi channel's hit series Stargate (both SG-1 (http://www.scifi.com/stargate/) and Atlantis (http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/)), the powers of the Ancients are based on Spirit: one must ascend before these powers are accessible, and there are Rules governing what can and can not be done and/or how (although, FWIW, the Ancients impose these rules on themselves communally, rather than doing it because some [still] Higher Power or Universal Law demands it).

World Laws: These are basic rules that define the character of a universe. For instance, Earthsea could have a "Law of True Names" that says, in essence, that the knowledge of a thing's True Name gives you utter power over the thing. These rules are not absolute, but should be respected, in the sense that RP which keeps within the spirit of the rules should be respected more that RP that violates their spirit.

Special Rules: Anything that doesn't fit in anywhere else.

With that, I'll offer three examples:
Real Life
Core Earth (from TORG)
Ayad (my cosm)
Ayaddha
27-03-2005, 06:02
World Axioms:Magic: 0"There is no magic whatsoever; sentients must manipulate the world entirely through their bodies, technology or miracles."
Social: 20"A variety of international institutions come into existence which have some degree of often fragile power granted them by their member nations, such as global banks, international courts, and other such institutions. Regions may possess stronger institutions binding nations together. Concepts of rights begin to be extended beyond human beings, leading to movements such as vegetarianism and animal rights. A global culture is rising and assimilating aspects of other cultures. Global media grows in impact, lasting longer and hitting harder."
Spirit: 10"Religious oaths can become made spiritually binding. Other languages can now be understood via miracle. The loa may manifest themselves by possessing people. A variety of weapons can be blessed, rendering them more effective."
Tech: 22"The electronics revolution takes place, enabling the creation of microcomputers. Manufacturing is increasingly automated, reducing the number of humans needed. Home electronics begin to flourish, with easily portable radios and recording devices, from casettes to CDs. The first computer networks are developed on national and international scales. Knowledge of genetics advances, and medicine advances with a profusion of new drugs. Eventually, the genomes of the major sentients are mapped out. Allergies can be treated, if not eliminated. Many old diseases are wiped out. Smart weapons begin to be developed. Stealth aircraft are invented. Sentients begin to experiment with space travel, sending manned and remote-controlled missions to other planets. Interstellar travel is still out of reach. Scientists fumble towards a Grand Unified Theory and towards finding the fundamental particles and origins of the universe. Theories of multiple or quantum universes are explored, but have no practical application as of yet. It is possible to use Magic or Spirit to travel to such alternate dimensions if those axioms support the attempt."

World Laws:None

Special Rules:None

Notes:

Pagans, don't send me angry TG's complaining that Magic exists in RL. What most people think of as "magic" is actually the invocation/evocation of Spirit, as in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimeus Trilogy (http://www.bartimaeustrilogy.com/). True Magic - that is, the manifestation of psychic intent without external (i.e., spiritual) assistance, is so rare as to be unheard of.
Atheists/skeptics, don't send me angry TG's complaing that Spirit doesn't exist in RL, at least not without looking at the axiom tables (http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/TORG/AxiomTables.html) mentioned above. If you read that reference (and this one (http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/TORG/Cosms.html#TheAxiomsAndWorldLaws)), you'll notice religious symbols can't even exist in cosms where Spirit is less than 6, so that is the absolute minimum level Spirit could be in RL. There are any number of apocryphal tales regarding faith healing (Spirit = 9), speaking in tongues (Spirit = 10), or spirit [in TORG terms, "loa"] possession (Spirit = 10); the sheer number, across various cultures and eras, is far to great to be ignored, at least for game purposes.
Above all, keep in mind that - as far as NationStates (or any other RPG) is concerned, RL is just a frame of reference, a yardstick against which we measure other things. As you will see (below), NS is not RL, not by a long shot.
Ayaddha
27-03-2005, 06:40
This is TORG's Core Earth cosm, as modified here (http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~jogle/TORG/ce-wls.html)

World Axioms:Magic: 7"It is fairly easy to learn to use magic and there is no maximum value for the duration, range, or effect of divinations. The magic axiom now allows for substantial apportation and minor alteration effects. Alteration is only available as ritual, which means casting time is never less than an hour, and is frequently higher. Only natural processes can be altered, augmenting or decreasing them. Further breakthroughs in magical theory are made as the knowledge of how to light, dark, and mana itself are discovered. Spell creation is very slow." Much greater than Real Life
Social: 20"A variety of international institutions come into existence which have some degree of often fragile power granted them by their member nations, such as global banks, international courts, and other such institutions. Regions may possess stronger institutions binding nations together. Concepts of rights begin to be extended beyond human beings, leading to movements such as vegetarianism and animal rights. A global culture is rising and assimilating aspects of other cultures. Global media grows in impact, lasting longer and hitting harder." Same as Real Life
Spirit: 9"Divine invocation can have considerable results. Miracles grow stronger and it is possible to broadly enhance the abilities of the faithful. Faith healing is possible as well. Miracles are never indisputably divine in nature, but can begin to be obviously unusual." Less than Real Life(!)
Tech: 22"The electronics revolution takes place, enabling the creation of microcomputers. Manufacturing is increasingly automated, reducing the number of humans needed. Home electronics begin to flourish, with easily portable radios and recording devices, from casettes to CDs. The first computer networks are developed on national and international scales. Knowledge of genetics advances, and medicine advances with a profusion of new drugs. Eventually, the genomes of the major sentients are mapped out. Allergies can be treated, if not eliminated. Many old diseases are wiped out. Smart weapons begin to be developed. Stealth aircraft are invented. Sentients begin to experiment with space travel, sending manned and remote-controlled missions to other planets. Interstellar travel is still out of reach. Scientists fumble towards a Grand Unified Theory and towards finding the fundamental particles and origins of the universe. Theories of multiple or quantum universes are explored, but have no practical application as of yet. It is possible to use Magic or Spirit to travel to such alternate dimensions if those axioms support the attempt." Same as Real Life

World Laws:The Law of Resolve - A Core Earther is loathe to the idea of giving up or surrendering a fight if it means compromising his beliefs, ideals or goals. This does not mean that Core Earthers will futility struggle against impossible odds - if one means of resistance won't work than he'll find some other way of continuing the fight.

The Law of Imagination - Core Earthers are able to imagine and believe in things outside of their own reality. Unlike people in most other realities, they are not constrained by their axioms and world laws to see existence in only one particular way, unable to think and dream of how the world could be different.

The Law of Glory - Core Earthers can aspire to great heights and create personal and collective stories of tremendous inspiration. Heroic qualities can even manifest themselves instantly in otherwise ordinary people at the drop of a hat, if the right circumstances arise.

Special Rules:Simultaneity - The world of Core Earth exits simultaneous with Real Life; the two realities can alternate abruptly for dramatic purposes, with a person or story line shifting from one to the other instantly, usually for dramatic effect (Real Life to Core Earth to create a tale of inspiring heroism, Core Earth to real life to create a tale of moving tragedy [see below]).

Notes:

The original TORG rules for Core Earth had three different but similar laws: The Law of Entertainment, the Law of Prodigy, and the Law of Resistance. The overall effect was similar to the effect of the revised set of laws, but not quite as evocative of Core Earth's flavor (see next note).
TORG's Core Earth is not Real Life. It is what I would call "Literary Reality" (they use the term "Cinematic Reality" - same difference) In this reality, people and events are dramatized, things take on a "larger-than-life" aspect; hence the emphasis on heroic qualities, like Resolve, Prodigy, Glory, Resistance, Imagination, etc. More on this in the notes to the NationStates cosm.


This cosm description is offered as a template for a "storybook" reality. Again, such a cosm would not be Real Life. It would be the world of Tom Clancy, Larry Bond, or Robert Ludlum novels, the world of drama and dramatic possibilities. But then, what is RP all about if not telling a d_mn_d good story?!?
Ayaddha
27-03-2005, 07:14
World Axioms:Magic: 0"There is no magic whatsoever; sentients must manipulate the world entirely through their bodies, technology or miracles."
Social: 21"While a completely binding planetary government is not yet possible, regions may have strong federal governmental systems for nations. Their citizens begin to transfer their highest loyalties to these governments. Other international institutions become stronger, and competition between the regional governments tends to be peaceful, because warfare would wreck the economy. Businesses at the highest level are very transnational with few loyalties to the nations which gave them birth. Populations are highly mobile and fluid at the global level. Global media may well last for months before the impact wears off. It makes an excellent advertising tool for businessmen."
Spirit: 6"A variety of religous symbols begin to be used, though they have no special power. While many miracles are still tied to specific times of year and require much preparation, a handful of ritual miracles begin to appear which are used for ceremonies which have no fixed date in the spiritual calendar."
Tech: 23"Fusion Power becomes practical and common, as does Solar Power. Various forms of smart technology become common, and improved artificial intelligence allows crude robots to be made, though they remain pretty dim-witted in many respects. Very powerful, but limited expert systems are developed as well. Computer networks are highly sophisticated, enabling easy access to the totality of human knowledge, although sorting the good from the garbage and understanding what you find is another question. Crude virtual reality is developed, but it has yet to come into common use. Smart technology is used to make industrial production highly efficient with a minimal need for labor. Medicine begins to extend the human lifespan, cloning technology allows bulk production of meat for food, of organs for transplants, and of organic compounds for a variety of medical and industrial uses. A variety of useful bio-engineered organisms are developed, from super-productive and super-disease-resistant crops to pollution-cleaning bacteria to augmented guard animals. In addition to replacement limbs and organs, a variety of mechanical replacements for lost body parts are available. Technologies to allow control of devices by thought are being developed, but are still not very reliable or practical, as of yet. Most vehicles are powered by fuel cells or are electrical. Hovervehicles are common. Short distance space travel is reliable, though slow. Bases can be built in hostile environments (methane worlds, vaccum, etc) and space stations are highly sophisticated. Mining operations begin in space, as well as the construction of space vessels in zero gravity. Crude energy weapons are developed, but are not very practical."

World Laws:The Law of Unintended Consequences - Almost any action undertaken by a large institution (governmental or otherwise) will produce unanticipated (and usually unwanted) side effects.

The Law of Absurdity - If there are multiple possible outcomes from a particular action or trigger event, chance will favor the the most absurd.

Special Rules:Simultaneity - The world of NationStates exits simultaneous with Real Life; the two realities can alternate abruptly for dramatic purposes, with a person or story line shifting from one to the other instantly, usually for literary effect (Real Life to NationStates to create a humorous situation, Core Earth to Real Life ... no, wait ... that never happens, does it?!? [see below]).

Notes:

The Social and Tech levels listed above are probably exaggerations of NationStates "reality", but exaggeration seems to be the theme of NationStates. Clearly, the existence of regional governments and the fact that the N.S.U.N. has pseudo-legislative powers suggests that the Social level is higher than 20; in similar fashion, cloning is possible, even poor countries can launch rockets into space, and bar-coding citizens is a common practice, so Tech is higher than 22. But not all of what is possible at Social 21 and Tech 23 exists (or can exist).
Religion and magic, to the extent that they exist, are just another excuse for people to be weirdos.

As with TORG's Core Earth, NationStates is not set in Real Life, but rather in "Literary Reality" (here, the term "Cinematic Reality" very definitely does not fit). "Literary Reality" can best be described as "the world of stories", where some aspects of reality are exagerrated to make or prove a point, or to make the story line more entertaining.

The Law of Simultaneity is a recognition of the fact that "Literary Reality" ("LR"?) is Real Life viewed through a funhouse lens. We can choose to take the lens off or put it back on any time we want, if that advances the story or increases its power. In this sense, all "LR" realities are "simultaneous" with "RL" because they are just a different way of looking at the same events. "Travel" between these "cosms" (or "subcosms") is really just a matter of semantics, a way of stating which set of rules (RL or the operative LR filter) are in effect at the moment, for the sake of making the story move the right way.
Ayaddha
27-03-2005, 07:30
Some people have said that the world of NS is "the size of Jupiter with unlimited resources."

Bunk.

Because I see NS as a form of LR (and not RL), I have no problem explaining how we can have 100,000+ countries in NS. It's LR, so there can be any number of imaginary "small Latin American countries" or "Eastern European nations" or whatever. Who cares if we can't point out where they are on a map? That didn't stop Swift from writing about Lilliput, or Vonnegut about San Lorenzo.

That's the nature of LR. All of these countries are made up places that are "somewhere" over here or over there. Who cares if the sum of the parts is greater than any possible whole could be?

Anyway, the fact that all our countries exist in LR is the reason why I think we can have slightly different realities ("subcosms"). Embarrassed by the quirky absurdity of NationStates? Fine - make your world more like those of Clancy or Bond or Brown. Having slightly different realities for each nation respects that and forms the basis for interaction with fewer arguments. Now you can say "I'm Tech 22" and it's obvious to everyone that you're not going to permit ortillery or powered armor; you can say "I'm Magic 0" and not have to worry about someone flying in with a dragon. Think of it as an advance IGNORE directive.

But even someone who fastidiously says, "I'm strict RL" needs to understand that NationStates is LR, and so technically "strict RL" is as impossible as any FT or MagiTek "reality".

Anyway, that's my 2¢ worth...